Drilling and pipe setting machine



Dec 1Q, 1963 n. B. oRcUTT 3,113,628

DRILLING AND-PIPE SETTING MACHINE Filed April 28. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lzvmvron `ATTOAM'M DONA/.05. car:

Dec. l0, 1963 D. B. oRcu'rT DRILLING AND PIPE SETTING MACHINE 2 sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 28. 1961 u. A .l I I I I, I I l I n u ,l

INVENToR. 00A/ALD 5. 0km/rz' AI' 1' ORNE!! United States Patent O 3,113,628 DRlLLlNG AND PIPE SETTING MACE Donald B. rcutt, 11862 McPherson, El Modello, Calif., assigner of twenty-five percent to Roy D. Lewis, Santa Ana, Calif.

Filed Apr. 28, 1961, Ser. No. 106,236 3 Claims. (Cl. 173-152) This invention pertains to a drilling and pipe setting machine and is particularly directed to a machine for placing a pipe through an earthen barrier such as under a road or walk when tearing up the pavement or excavating a trench through the obstruction.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a drilling and pipe setting machine which is easy to place in position and highly flexible in operation.

Another object is to provide a machine for boring a hole through an earthen embankment and then to pull a pipe to be set back through the bored hole by the simple and efficient operation and control of the machine.

It is a further object of the machine to provide a rotatable and longitudinally reciprocatable head for working a boring bar through an earthen obstruction and to pull a pipe to be set back through the previously bored hole by the simple manipulation of control elements of the machine.

Further features and advantages of this invention will appear from a detailed description of the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a drilling and pipe setting machine incorporating the features of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 2 2 of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional View on the line 3 3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional View on the line 4 4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is tan enlarged fragmentary View of the feed dogs in driving position on the line 5 5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary View similar to FIG. 5 but showing the feed dogs in released position.

As an example of one embodiment of this invention, there is shown a drilling and pipe setting machine having a frame indicated generally at 1t) comprising side channel members 11 and 12 to the ends of which are fixed the rear end channel member 13 and the bottom strap pieces 14 and 15. Fixed to the front ends of the side channel members 11 and 12 are the upstanding thrust pieces 16a and 17a.

A longitudinally reciprocatable carriage indicated generally at 16 is provided on the frame 1) comprising a pair of laterally spaced side plates 17 and 18 rigidly connected to a series of longitudinally spaced dog pins 19, 2t), 21, 22 and 23, the outside surfaces 24 and 25 of the side plates 17 and 18 slidingly engaging the inner surfaces 26 and 27 of the side channel members 11 and 12. The bottom surfaces 28 and 29 of the side plates 17 and 18 are longitudinally slidable on the top surfaces of the bottom straps 14 and 15. Dog positioning strips 31 and 32 are xed to the bottom portions of the dog pins 19 23 and to the inside faces 33 and 34 of the side plates 18 and 17 while a work head guide strip 35 is fixed on top of the dog pins 19 23. A yoke bar 36 is fixed to the outer ends of the side plates 17 and 18 and the outer ends of the yoke bar are fixed to the outer ends of the piston rods 37 and 38 of the fluid pressure actuating cylinders 39 and 40 which are pivotally connected by suitable pins 41 to the frame of the machine. By appropriately applying fluid pressure to the cylinders 39 and 40 the carriage 16 may be reciprocated relative to the frame 10.

Relatively longitudinally slidable on the top surface 42 of the work head guide strip 35 is the work head 43 hav- 3,113,628 Patented Dec. 10, 1963 lCe ing a spindle 44 suitably journaled against axial movement in the work head 43. The front end of the spindle 44 is provided with a suitably threaded spindle nose 45 to which may be attached various lengths and sizes of boring bars 46 having a suitable cutting head 47; or pipe lengths may be connected to the spindle nose 45 for drawing or pushing the pipe through the previously bored hole. A sprocket 48 is fixed to the rear end of the spindle 44 over which operates a chain in turn operating over a sprocket 5f) fixed to the shaft 51 of a suitable reversible fluid pressure motor 52 mounted on the work head 43 so that by suitably applying fluid pressure to the motor 52 the spindle 44 may be rotated in either direction. Laterally projecting tongues 53 formed on the work head 43 are guided between the side faces 26 and 27 ofthe side channel members 11 and 12 and the top surfaces 56 are confined downwardly by the underside surfaces 57 of the guide strips 58 fixed at the top portions of the side channel members 11 and 12, as best seen in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4.

In order to effect the longitudinal reciprocating feeding movements for the work head 43, there is provided a pair of actuating dogs 59 and 66, one on each side of the work head 43, pivotally mounted on suitable pins 61 fixed in the sides of the work head 43. Each of the dogs are of approximate T-shaped and have abutment surfaces 62 and 63 adapted to be engaged by the dog pins 19-23 of the carriage 16, positioning surfaces 64 and 65 adapted to engage the top surfaces 66 of the dog positioning strips 31 and 32, and trip pins 64a and 65a to facilitate flipping the dogs to desired operative position.

In operation: A suitable boring bar 46 is rested in the arcuate cradle 36a fixed to the yoke bar 36 and is threaded to the spindle nose 45 by holding the bar 46 against rotation and energizing the motor 52 to rotate the spindle 44 to connect the boring bar to the spindle, the motor continuing to rotate in this direction for the boring operation. To effect the initial boring operation, both dogs 59-60 are flipped to the position shown in FIG. 5 with dog pin 20 engaging surfaces 62 and 63, so that when the cylinders 39 and 49 are energized to move the carriage 16, to the right in FIG. 2, the work head 43 and boring bar 46 will likewise be moved to the right a distance equal to the travel of the front end 67 of the carriage or yoke bar up against the thrust pieces 16a and 17a. At the conclusion of this forward movement of the carriage, the cylinders 39 and 4f? are reversed and the carriage retracted causing dog pin 21 to engage surface 68 of the dogs lifting them up to pass over the dog pin 21 and drop behind it so that when the carriage again feeds forward the dog pin 21 will now engage the abutment surfaces 62 and 63 of the dogs to further feed the work head and boring bar into the ground. This operation continues until the last dog pin 23 of the carriage has been utilized. The spindle 44 is now reversed to disconnect the spindle nose 45 from the boring bar 46 which is substantially fully inserted in the earthen embankment. Dogs 59 and 60 are iiipped to the position shown in FIG. 6 and the work head retracted fully to the left in FIG. 2. The carriage 16 is likewise actuated to fully retracted position to the left and the dogs 59 and 60 flipped to the position shown in FIG. 5. A new length of boring bar is then inserted between the boring bar set in the ground and the spindle nose 45, the spindle is then rotated in forward boring direction engaging the threads at the spindle nose 45 and at the rear of the previously set boring bar, and then the above boring operation is continued.

After the series of boring bars break through the earthen obstruction by the above operation, the cutter bit 47 is removed and the length of pipe to be installed is then attached to the end of the boring bars ready to be pulled through the bored hole occupied by the boring bars. Both dogs 59 and 60 are now fiipped to the position shown in FIG. 6 and the carriage reciprocated by the cylinders 39 and 40 with the respective dog pins 2li- T19 engaging the abutment surfaces 62 and 63 of the dogs to draw the pipe back through the bored hole.

In certain instances it may be desirable to rapidly and positively reciprocate the boring bar during the boring operation directly from the fluid pressure cylinders 39 and 40 to clear an obstruction. This is readily done by flipping one dog in the position shown in FIG. and the other dog to the position shown in FIG. 6. This directly and positively locks the carriage and work head together with the dogs confined between a pair of dog pins 19-23 so that the cylinders 39 and 40 can be utilized to positively reciprocate and control longitudinal movement of the boring bar.

It will thus be seen that a pipe may be installed through an earthen obstruction of any thickness while only requiring a relative short initial trench just sulcient to accommodate the length of the frame 19 of the machine since relative short lengths of boring bars can be rapidly and economically fed through the obstruction and utilized to draw the pipe back through the bored hole.

While the apparatus herein disclosed and described constitutes a preferred form of the invention, it is also to be understood that the apparatus is; capable of mechanical alteration without departing from the spirit of the invention and that such mechanical arrangement and commercial adaptation as fall within the scope of the appendent claims are intended to be included herein.

Having thus fully set forth and described this invention what is claimed and desired to be obtained by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A drilling and pipe setting machine comprising in combination:

(a) aframe,

(b) a longitudinally reciprocatable carriage slidably mounted on said frame,

(c) iiuid pressure actuated means interconnected between said frame and said carriage reversibly energizable to reciprocate said carriage on said frame,

(d) a work head slidably supported on said carriage and guided on said frame for relative longitudinal reciprocatable movement relative to said frame and carriage,

(e) and a releasable means movably mounted on said work head and adapted to intermittently engage said carriage whereby said carriage is reciprocated antomatically to intermittently advance and retract said work head relative to said frame.

2. A drilling and pipe setting machine comprising in combination (a) a frame,

(b) a carriage longitudinally reciprocahle on said frame,

(c) a reversible power means on said frame connected to actuate said carriage,

(d) a work head slidably supported on said carriage and laterally guided by said frame for free longitudinal movement relative to said carriage and said frame,

(e) means for connecting a boring bar and a pipeto be set to said work head,

(f) means on said work head comprising a pair of actuating dogs pivotally mounted to swing about a transverse horizontal axis on said work head,

(g) and a plurality of laterally disposed dog pins spaced longitudinally of and fixed to said carriage adapted to be engaged by said actuating dogs to cause said carriage to move said work head relative to said frame to effect said boring and pipe setting operation.

3. A drilling and pipe setting machine comprising in combination (a) a frame,

(b) a carriage longitudinally reciprocable on said i frame,

(c) a reversible power means on said trarne connected to actuate said carriage,

(d) a work head slidably supported on said carriage and laterally guided by said frame for free longitudinal movement relative to said carriage and said frame,

(e) means for connecting a boring bar and a pipe to be set to said work head,

(f) means on said work head comprising a pair of actuating dogs each pivotally mounted to be flipped independently about a transverse horizontal axis on said work head to a forward and a reverse position,

(g) and a plurality of laterally disposed dog pins spaced longitudinally of and fixed to said carriage adapted to be engaged by said actuating dogs wherein when both of said actuating dogs are ipped to forward position said work head may be intermittently moved forward; when both of said dogs are iiipped to reverse position said work head may be intermittently moved in reverse; and when one dog is ipped to forward and the other dog to reverse positions, said work head may be reciprocatably operated in either direction when said power means is energized.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,102,706 Hirschberg Dec. 21, 1937 2,588,068 Williams et al. Mar. 4, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 20,608 Great Britain 1908 139,289 Australia Nov. 3, 1950 

1. A DRILLING AND PIPE SETTING MACHINE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A FRAME, (B) A LONGITUDINALLY RECIPROCATABLE CARRIAGE SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME, (C) FLUID PRESSURE ACTUATED MEANS INTERCONNECTED BETWEEN SAID FRAME AND SAID CARRIAGE REVERSIBLY ENERGIZABLE TO RECIPROCATE SAID CARRIAGE ON SAID FRAME, (D) A WORK HEAD SLIDABLY SUPPORTED ON SAID CARRIAGE AND GUIDED ON SAID FRAME FOR RELATIVE LONGITUDINAL RECIPROCATABLE MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME AND CARRIAGE, (E) AND A RELEASABLE MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID WORK HEAD AND ADAPTED TO INTERMITTENTLY ENGAGE SAID CARRIAGE WHEREBY SAID CARRIAGE IS RECIPROCATED AUTOMATICALLY TO INTERMITTENTLY ADVANCE AND RETRACT SAID WORK HEAD RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME. 